Chelsea legend questions whether Tottenham can handle title pressure

With mega spending, comes mega expectation. Active Chelsea player accustomed to life under the spotlight advises Tottenham Hotspur to achieve consistency…

Tottenham Hotspur may have lost a player in the summer transfer window but their summer activity combined with their consequent form in the Premier League suggests they have gained a team.

With a gross transfer expenditure of £105m, that included exciting acquisitions such as Paulinho and Christian Eriksen, there is an expectation surrounding White Hart Lane that the Spurs – currently third in the division after a 1-1 draw with Chelsea at the weekend – can challenge for the title this season.

However, Frank Lampard, who played the whole game against Tottenham on Saturday, believes the Lilywhites must achieve a year-long consistency if they are to really challenge for top honours; a stretch of form that has eluded them in seasons past as they failed to match their top four ambitions with their end-of-season rankings.

'They’re a very good team,' Lampard acknowledged, as quoted by the Daily Mail. 'They are going to be looking at winning the league. That’s what you have to do when you spend that money.'

Should Chelsea also be contenders for the crown then the English midfielder hinted that it would be the Blues who would edge Spurs as it is they who have experience handling the pressure and maintaining the results necessary at the tail-end of the campaign.

'We’ve lived for the last eight years with that pressure, year in year out, and that’s what Tottenham have to deal with if they want to win the league. You have to get a level of consistency and it’s not easy. It’s a difficult league.'

When it comes to consistency, though, it is Spurs who, if they win a game-in-hand can brag the greater calendar-year results, as per the top five table below (results taken into account start from January and end in September, inclusive of all Premier League matches).

Tottenham's next league fixture is a home tie against West Ham United on Sunday.